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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26400772">Return My Affections</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pixel_Machine/pseuds/Pixel_Machine'>Pixel_Machine</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Final Fantasy XIV</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>And also this character is NOT the Warrior of Light, Estinien has no clue what flowers are, Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward Spoilers, Flowers, Fluff, Language of Flowers, Love Confessions, M/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 11:02:19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,372</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26400772</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pixel_Machine/pseuds/Pixel_Machine</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Estinien has difficulty expressing his emotions using his words. Perhaps using a different language might help?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Estinien Wyrmblood/Original Character(s), Warrior of Light/Estinien Wyrmblood</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Return My Affections</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Are you speaking seriously to me right now, Estinien?”</p><p>The dragoon felt his face burn as he shifted his gaze from the black mage’s face, painted with an expression of exasperation, over to the window. He considered making a break for it, but decided against it when he remembered how easy it would be for his conversation partner to freeze it shut. The option exhausted, he sighed slightly and said, “Aye, I am.”</p><p>Merrow Chern sighed right back, crossing her arms across her chest, “Well, at least there’s that.” She said, “I cannot for the life of me tell when you’re joking and when you’re not, and if you had been joking I would’ve thrown lightning in your face.”</p><p>Estinien shuddered at the thought, “I would not joke about this matter.”</p><p>Merrow’s expression softened a bit, and she shifted a bit on her feet, “That’s good, a few people have, and it never turned out well.” She sighed, turning her gaze away, “Always broke his heart, though he never talked about it I could see it in his eyes.”</p><p>Estinien felt his jaw tense, his hands itched with the urge to grab his lance and track down whoever would do such a thing, “I have no intention of doing such a heinous thing myself, I assure you.”</p><p>“Good, because I believe you already upset him more than enough to last an entire lifetime.” Merrow deadpanned, and Estinien flinched at the venom in her words. She was a protective woman when it came to the people she cared about, and he was well aware that Broom ranked higher than himself on that list, “What is it you wished for my assistance with again?”</p><p>Estinien muttered under his breath about how he couldn’t believe the Lord Commander’s fiance had such a poor short term memory.</p><p>“What was that?” Merrow asked, her voice full of false cheer. The temperature of the room dropped a few degrees as the staff slung across her back began to light up slightly.</p><p>“Flowers.” Estinien quickly said, “I wished to ask for your assistance regarding flowers.”</p><p>With the room returning to its normal temperature, Merrow laughed a bit into her hand, “Apologies, Estinien, but the way you said that was just hilarious.” She said, and then turned to look at a nearby bookshelf, “Now, what were you thinking of saying?”</p><p>“Saying?” Estinien asked, “I plan on giving him flowers, not writing a letter.”</p><p>“Flowers have meanings, Estinien.” Merrow replied, and pulled down a book with a cover that looked ready to fall off if it for a moment was not handled with great care, “You can say a lot with what blooms you pair together. Now, tell me what you want to say and I’ll find the proper blooms to do that.”</p><p>“Where will we even find flowers?”</p><p>“That is for you to figure out.” Merrow replied, and smiled up at Estinien, “I cannot help with every single step, it would end up not being a gift from you then.”</p><p>Estinien sighed, “Fine, act coy.” He said, “How do I say…”</p><p>The words petered out as he realized he had a lot to say to Broom, so many things that he couldn’t actually voice because of his pride and awkwardness. He’d wanted to say so much even before Nidhogg had possessed him and turned him against the other man, and now after the dust had settled and Estinien possessed a clearer mind and more time to himself than he’d probably ever had in his life before he found that his affection for Broom had grown. It was like ivy growing up the side of a brick wall, a steadily growing thing that could go unnoticed or be seen as harmless until it began to push itself into the cracks and threaten to break the entire wall apart.</p><p>If he didn’t say something to Broom soon, Estinien reasoned, he was going to instead do something incredibly stupid.</p><p>“Or this could be that…” Estinien muttered to himself, and when Merrow gave him a confused look he simply shook his head, “I’m not entirely sure what to say.”</p><p>“Well, I can assure you that Broom will be able to read it.” Merrow explained, and sat down in an oversized loveseat. Estinien remained standing, arms folded across his chest as he thought and stared at the book, “And please, do not feel embarrassed about explaining your emotions to me. Trust me, I know that it can be hard to get them across.”</p><p>Estinien smiled a bit, remembering how he used to be the one in Merrow’s position, watching her relationship with Aymeric pick up almost exactly where it had left off when she’d disappeared from Ishgard nearly a decade ago and blossom into something completely new now that they both had changed in social status. It had been a hilarious dance to behold, and now Estinien could only believe that his own attempt at a courting dance must’ve been just as amusing.</p><p>“Hm…let me think…thoughts on hydrangeas?”</p><p>Estinien snapped his attention back to Merrow, “What do those mean?”</p><p>“Gratefulness for understanding heartfelt emotions.” Merrow replied, “Might be fitting for you, since you are pretty hard to read but Broom seems to do well.”</p><p>Estinien shook his head, “I don’t want to say that this time, I’ve said it many times before and he takes it as the gesture of a friend every time. How do I say…” He grumbled, tilting his head back and letting out another sigh before he finally spat out his thoughts, “That he’s my favorite person, and that the thought of that makes my chest hurt?”</p><p>“Ah, see? Is it not so relieving to finally work through your emotional constipation?” Merrow said with a chuckle, and her eyes glinted with mischief when Estinien leveled a glare at her, “You’ll want red carnations and apple blossoms for that.”</p><p>“That sounds like something I’d find in Gridania but hardly anywhere else.”</p><p>“You’d be correct about that.” Merrow replied, “If you hurry, you could go get them and be back by the time Broom returns from assisting the Ironworks at Camp Cloudtop. Don’t you think it would be a wonderful thing to receive flowers from someone after a long and trying expedition such as that?”</p><p>Estinien frowned, “I can hardly leave Ishgard undefended to go flower picking, it would-”</p><p>“Ishgard is <em> hardly </em> undefended, Estinien!” Merrow interrupted, “The rest of the troops are here and are well rested now that they no longer have to fight the draconic hoard. If you worry about there being no heroes do remember well that Jarla is still here, as is Radothgar and myself, and we are all ready to defend the city if it is what is required.”</p><p>“I will concede on that point.” Estinien said, arms falling to his sides and he let out yet another sigh, “I do despise sometimes how you always seem to be right.”</p><p>“Comes with time and a copious amount of learning things and being wrong in front of people willing to teach.” Merrow replied wistfully, “Now get going, you’re burning daylight and those flowers aren’t going to find themselves.”</p><p>Estinien frowned one last time before racing off the premises.</p><p>It was only halfway between The Steps of Faith and Camp Dragonhead that he realized how much of a fool he’d been played to be.</p><p> </p><p>The Black Shroud wasn’t a place friendly to dragoons, Estinien realized by the start of his third day traversing the place. Whenever he encountered a creature bent on making his task that much harder, he would have to all but root himself to the earth, lest he end up getting tangled up in the always just too low hanging branches of the ever present trees. He’d gotten tangled in them before, much to the enjoyment of several children who found him as he was attempting to right himself and also luckily didn’t know who he was.</p><p>“Is this blasted place a forest or a labyrinth meant to punish me for my sins and hubris?!” Estinien growled as he stalked through the forest, “Where are these damned flowers hiding?!”</p><p>It had gotten to the point that Estinien didn’t even care what flowers he found. The first blooms he found he plucked and, with a bit of a calmer mind, carefully tucked the blooms into his armor so that they would survive the journey back to Ishgard.</p><p>He’s certain they’re the wrong flowers, they didn’t remind him of apples and they weren’t red either, but he certainly didn’t have the time or the lack of pride to ask a local for assistance.</p><p>Despite what Merrow told him, he felt uneasy leaving Ishgard for so long. Things could change so quickly, he reasoned, and the war had only just recently come to a conclusion. It was only reasonable that he be nervous about being so far from the Holy See, and wish to return to it with haste.</p><p>He quickly stamped down thoughts about the possibility of this feeling being that he wanted to see Broom as soon as he could. No, it was duty, and duty alone.</p><p> </p><p>Estinien had waited several hours for Broom to return from the Manufactory where he was giving a debrief on the repairs he’d completed at Camp Cloudtop to Cid and the others. He’d been told it would take a while, and to simply be patient and wait for Broom to finish.</p><p>He’d never been that patient of a man, despite how his mentors and friends had tried to make it otherwise.</p><p>As he stood, standing guard but not really paying as much attention to the surrounding skies as he might have a few months prior, he wondered if it’d been worth his time. The flowers he’d gotten hadn’t even been the right ones, and they’d been slightly smashed and had begun to wilt on the way back to Ishgard.</p><p>“This is impossible.” He muttered to himself, sure that no one could hear him voicing his thoughts, “It should not be this difficult to court someone. How did the Lord Commander ever manage this?”</p><p>Just as he was considering going to ask Aymeric about the matter, he spotted a familiar head of auburn hair far below, it looked like a small blaze of fire against the gray-tone streets of the Holy See.</p><p>He landed unheard by the other man, who seemed to be weighing his options as he stood at a street corner.</p><p>“Broom.” Estinien said, and nearly chuckled at how Broom flinched minutely before turning to look back at the dragoon.</p><p>“Estinien, Merrow told me you’d come and find me when I got back.” He said with a smile, and Estinien felt his heart begin to beat faster in his chest.</p><p>The man in front of him was certainly someone who most would see and pity, an orphan with a melancholy that ran so deep it had begun to become an irremovable part of him, but Estinien saw him as one of the best men he’d had the honor of knowing. Brave enough to stand against Nidhogg, get right up in the great wyrm’s face in order to bring it down once and for all, something that even many Azure Dragoons of old would have at least given pause to before doing. And Broom had done it despite not even being from Ishgard.</p><p>“Yes, I wished to give you something.” Estinien said, calmly and cooly as he reached into his armor, “I apologize that it is nothing grand.”</p><p>He pulled the few flowers he’d gathered, yellow blooms he thought looked a bit like small suns. He remembered seeing them as a child, before Ishgard turned as cold as it now was, but he couldn’t remember what they were called.</p><p>Broom blinked at the blooms before gently taking them, “Daffodils?” He asked, “How far did you have to go to find these?”</p><p>“The Black Shroud.” Estinien said, knowing that it was pointless to put off or avoid telling him where he’d been. He had an unnaturally keen ability to figure out information, even the most obscure and hidden things, in a short amount of time.</p><p>“That far, just for flowers for me?” Broom asked, his eyes widening, and he smiled so much brighter then that it almost knocked Estinien off balance, “Thank you.”</p><p>“I could have done better, and will in the future.” Estinien replied, “If…If you’d allow that.”</p><p>Broom looked from Estinien to the flowers and then back up, a look of realization painting his features. Estinien himself struggled to keep his expression neutral as he began to wonder what those flowers he’d given meant, and he struggled not to laugh at how Broom’s cheeks began to become dusted pink by something other than the cold twilight air.</p><p>“I…yes, Estinien, I’d allow that.” Broom said with a soft chuckle, and threaded the blooms by the stem through his coat’s buttonhole, “But only if you would allow me to give you something of similar value in return.”</p><p>Estinien frowned, confused, “What would that be?”</p><p>“Lean down a bit.”</p><p>After he did as he was asked, far too eager to please and keep Broom smiling, he nearly jumped at the feeling of Broom’s warm lips pressing a kiss to his cheek.</p><p>“I’ll also offer you a meal, once you’re able to find time.”</p><p>“I will be seeing you later tonight then.” Estinien replied, “I’m not on duty presently, despite what my armor might imply, but I must pay Lady Chern a visit before I join you.”</p><p>Broom nodded, still smiling and still blushing, “I’ll be at the Forgotten Knight, awaiting you.” He said, and waved his farewell as he started up the hill.</p><p>After a moment of admiring Broom as he walked away, Estinien leapt into the air and towards the Fortemps Manor.</p><p>“Merrow!” He exclaimed as he opened the library window.</p><p>“Fury take you Estinien, can you not use the door like a normal person?!” Merrow exclaimed as she pulled a blanket quickly around her shoulders, “What do you want?”</p><p>“What do daffodils mean?”</p><p>“I told you to find apple blossoms and red carnations and you gave Broom <em> daffodils</em>?!” Merrow exclaimed, turning away from Estinien with a groan, “<em>Daffodils</em>!”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Broom Harlowe has two hands and so he gets two boyfriends, obviously.<br/>Also, Merrow Chern is my character too, she's who I actually play in the game. Radothgar and Jarla belong to my friend, RescueWombat (https://archiveofourown.org/users/RescueWombat), who writes much better stuff for FFXIV than I do</p></blockquote></div></div>
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